Promising Young Woman
Let's discuss Promising Young Woman directed and written by Emerald Fennell
A quick synopsis - Cassie (Carey Mulligan) is avenging the rape & suicide of her best friend Nina by frequenting bars and night clubs every week feigning drunkenness to be taken home by a predator in order to confront them in verbal psychological takedowns.
(WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REVIEW)
I loved that Cassie is portrayed as a powerful character throughout the film. The opening close up shots of the men's butts and crotches while they try to twerk at the night club are typically reserved for objectifying women either in music videos or in films / TV with shots of their butt, boobs. This is a foreshadowing of the power dynamics in the film. The beat progressions from reading the script and seeing the film has Cassie maintain the power position in all of the confrontations until the final one with Nina's rapist, Al (Chris Lowell), during the climax. Structuring the scenes to build and end in repetitive payoffs telegraphed the result of the climax.
Logically it didn't make sense that Cassie could be doing this for what can be assumed as years without being harassed in the clubs or bars by scorned men. Especially when she has hundreds and hundreds of men she has done this to. Or even barred by some establishments. Adding this in would have tied nicely to the themes of the film. In all of the encounters prior to the climax she has no weapons on her. There is never a struggle during any of the confrontations. It is not realistic. All of the men are the same prototype too representing the "good guy" or the standard bro which became too repetitive. I get this is to say rapists can be anyone. Also, no women were predators that pursue Cassie. If we were able to see these interactions over the course of the film become more dangerous that would have made the outcome of the climax unknown, but would have added complex layers into the inner dilemma of continuing down this vigilante path.
The night club confrontation scenes and the coffee shop / Cassie’s love story with Ryan (Bo Burnham) scenes felt like two different films constantly clashing. The club scenes are trying to be this edgier drama with thriller elements, and the coffee shop / Ryan love story is a high school rom-com.
Cassie's revenge gets set into motion when Ryan tells her that Nina's rapist, Al, lives in town again and is about to get married. She finds the people involved from college on a Facebook equivalent website. This scene felt like it was straight out of a high school melodramatic TV show. The timeline would make more sense if Cassie avenged the rape and suicide of Nina 6 months after it happened or even more immediately. Opening on the suicide instead of Cassie at some shitty club. The emotional resonance from Cassie's monologue in the climax hit me deep not because of knowing Nina's character, but it reminded me of the victims I have encountered and have read about. Again, if we knew the character of Nina more throughout the film the confrontations with all of these people involved in the rape and the injustice in the aftermath would have made the viewer care on a deeper level. Madison (Alison Brie), Dean Walker (Connie Britton) are cardboard cutouts of damaging rape myths within popular culture and are not full three dimensional characters. Laverne Cox, Jennifer Coolidge, Clancy Brown are not utilized to their full potential.
The whole love story between Ryan and Cassie didn't make sense to me. There are major logical flaws in her being with him. When he mentions being in the same friend circle as Al, Cassie never confronts him in any way. Especially when he says that Al is a good guy. Yet she is going down this secret vigilante path holding all these other men accountable, but not Ryan? Being in the same friend circle with Nina's rapist should have been a nonstarter. They never have a meaningful conversation the whole movie. It is all nonstop jokes and a cheesy montage of their evolving love. Cassie is constantly wearing the necklace with Nina's name on it and somehow Ryan never once asks about it ever?? - which would happen because most people don't wear someone's name around their neck all the time. It wasn't necessary for Ryan to be another asshole and the catalyst that sends Cassie over the edge to go after Al. The fact that Al has this beautiful life as a successful anesthesiologist, getting married, gave a lecture at the medical school where he raped Nina, and is still respected by everyone is reason enough alone to go after him. Ryan should have been a new person in her life that gets sidelined by Cassie's obsession to enact revenge.
In the lunch scene with Madison, she is written as someone who gives backhanded compliments. Due to social media her character would be up to date on Cassie's life. Madison would know why Cassie dropped out of med school and would come to this lunch apprehensive. Especially when their friend group imploded post rape 8 years ago. As a result, this meeting wouldn't be cutesy at all. We see a quick interaction of the beginning, then cut to a drunk Madison saying a superficial line of men wanting a wholesome wife post college, followed with Cassie laying into a cornered Madison still holding onto damaging opinions on rape. It would have been more compelling seeing this lunch play out as the tension is building towards an uncomfortable level, like a scene from American Psycho. Madison wouldn't allow herself to get drunk either. The only logical way for Cassie to manipulate Madison into believing she had been raped would have been for Cassie to have roofied her drink at some point. Madison would have shown up at Cassie's house much sooner after being messed with versus waiting till the end of the movie.
It didn't make sense that almost every character would see Cassie's point of view, even in the face of her wrath. Dean Walker is a character I feel would be so loyal to the establishment that she wouldn't admit her mistakes in order to save face for the college and her position there despite the #Metoo movement. I agree with the vulnerability her character exudes in trying to find out where her daughter is, but instead of agreeing with Cassie I see her calling 911 to report minor endangerment which would prompt Cassie to admit the daughter's whereabouts and immediately flee the scene.
After the scene with Dean Walker we cut to Cassie in a fugue state stopped at a light with a truck honking and yelling incessantly pulled up next to her. This transition is the most awkward in the entire film. Like nails on a chalkboard for me with how clunky it is. Just static motion without emotional context completely to bring us into this particular headspace Cassie is in. We needed to see her in motion driving having a panic attack, the car slowing down, the honking maybe fading out in the distance as she enters a flashback that is choppy. Something - because without it that transition is dead on arrival.
The scene with defense lawyer (Alfred Molina) who represented Al is a nice change of pace. Due to the fast shooting schedule I can only imagine Alfred was probably there for only a couple days, if that. But that scene could have gone to a raw place.
When Cassie blackmails Ryan with the footage from Nina's rape to get the address for Al’s bachelor party he is scared of her and responds with at first denial, excuses, and then insults at the very end, and ultimately gives in. I knew Ryan was involved in the rape in some way at the beginning of the film. But I expected there would be more of a confrontation between them. For instance, Ryan should have desperately tried to break the phone and in retaliation Cassie sends the video to all his current friends and work colleagues right then.
The monologue that Cassie gives at the end is the most powerful moment of dialogue in the entire film. I was hanging on the edge of my seat not sure what she was going to do to Al - until the final pieces of dialogue. I literally gasped hard as everything came together. It was devastating, poetic. There are specific lines in it I won't forget. Throughout the whole film I wish Carey didn't play it so safe. Her portrayal is one from strength. But she could have pushed her performance further and taken way more risks, especially during the climax. The climax is disturbing. But the falling action after is like being in the front seat on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags. Suddenly Al is burning Cassie's body, he gets married in an outdoor yuppie ceremony, the lawyer gets the letter from Cassie that she went to see Al with the address, he alerts the police, they instantly arrive, find Cassie's ashes immediately, and arrest Al for the death of Cassie. The End. Has anyone actually watched a true crime series affiliated with this project? I cannot tell you how many investigations police have spent thousands of hours searching the woods for a body and come up short. Can you imagine finding ashes? Tying the end in this rushed bow of justice annihilated the power of the climax.
I don't agree with the Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay due to all of the problems. The themes are important and the story can be placed in almost any decade which again speaks to the power of the themes. But this script needed considerable work to be Oscar worthy. Judas and The Black Messiah should have won. The film blew my mind, woke me up, created so much change within me to educate myself by reading books and actively pursuing opportunities to volunteer in my community. See trailer below.
Promising Young Woman is available to rent on streaming services and currently on HBO Max.